The chamberlain, the king, and the dragon (drobe)

[Manbearcat]

My intent is to get to the trail heading up to the castle. Unless circumstances change dramatically, that will still be my intent. We sort of abandoned the king and someone needs to check on him.

Good plan! You'll be getting an update on that at the beginning of next round! /teaser.

Given where you are currently, your Boots of the Dryad, and your default min Athletics check, you'll be able get to the trail leading up to the Royal Tower with your move action efforts next turn (without any rolls required). If that is what you're wanting to do, then we can just assume it at this point and you can let me know otherwise should things change between now and then.

 

[Campbell]

Lucann stares into the grim seas that now surround him. He had finally found his purpose after all these years lost in the dark, but now desperation has come clinging to him. He reaches out for his lifesworn lover, nudging her onto his back as he raises from the tempest that now surrounds them. Seeing, a tree in sight, Lucann rushes to salvation, but is almost overcome by the waves. His maiden shifts the weight of her body at just the right moment, prodding Lucann to the left just in time for them to miss a massive wave. They have made it to dry land for now.

[sblock=Mechanics]
Minor Action: Grab the dryad, placing her on Lucann's back.
Move Action: Stand up from prone
Move Action: Move diagonally to C10. Acrobatics Check (+2 bonus from dryad's help): 1d20+17=20
Save vs. Slowed: 1d20=17 [MENTION=6696971]Manbearcat[/MENTION]
[/sblock]

OOC: Sorry guys. Finals and family stuff led me down a rabbit hole I am just now making it out of.

 

[Manbearcat]

[MENTION=16586]Campbell[/MENTION]

[sblock]All good for your turn, but just a few things:

1) Mark 5 cold damage for SoS zone and I'll need a saving throw at the end of your turn versus slowed.

2) You can get to the square in question via the Run action (1 for E12 + 1 for D11 + 2 for C10 as its difficult terrain).

3) You and the Dryad will still be subject to the Hazard's attack there but the push effect won't move you anywhere.

4) You and the Dryad are restrained until the beginning of your next turn by the Brambleweed and you take 5 damage at the start of your next turn.

[/sblock]

Once @LostSoul resolves his suite of actions for the round, I'll move us forward to the next round. I'll go ahead and let you guys in on the relevant bits that will affect play (besides your efforts to survive):

From Thurgon's vantage point overlooking the city, he can see that the raging torrent is rushing down the side of the mountain, threatening to overtake the ward immediately at its base. In short order the wild waters will wash down into the Underbelly where so many take refuge against the siege.

The bellowing roar reverberates through your collective spines. The great, winged terror swiftly crushes air between its leathery wings. As a shark might in the water, its massive tail whips to turn it toward its sought prey; the Royal Tower...and the King.

The Dryad says to Lucann: "The wyrm was expecting unconditional surrender by fulldark. It has not come. I suspect it also knows that the king still draws breath. It will not fight to the death here, not in this place, but it will bring this city to its knees before the night is through."

 

[Manbearcat]

LostSoul appears to be on a wee bit of an Enworld hiatus. If no update by Saturday then I'll just spend Quinn's actions in the most practical, non-eventful way possible to move things forward; (i) Beguiling Strands on Swarm and (ii) Climb via Run Action to get into the adjacent tree with the help of Thurgon...and probably fail saving throw versus Slowed (save ends) as that seems to be the order of the day!

 

[Manbearcat]

Going to take @LostSoul 's suite of actions for Quinn in the most straightforward way I can to move things along. He may be on extended hiatus. I'll make Hazard attacks on @Campbell Lucann and the Dryad later this evening and move things forward. If you check in LostSoul, feel free to cancel and retcon the below at your discretion.

[sblock]

Standard Action:

Beguiling Strands
Close Blast 5 @ Swarm 1
+ 20 (CA due to Brambleweed) vs Will

Roll(1d20)+18:
10,+20
Total:30

Hit for 16 (6 + 10 for AoE vuln) psychic damage. Restrained (Brambleweed) makes the creature immune to the push rider effect.

The 5 damage it will take at the beginning of its next turn due to the Brambleweed is sufficient to kill the Swarm. The creature won't play a role before then so I'm going to expedite its death for ease of PbP use.

Move Action:

Run Action (Speed + 2 which only equals 4 due to slow) to scurry up the tree with the help of Thurgon and out of the hazard. Athletics (6 + 2 for Thurgon = 8) vs Easy DC (14)

Roll(1d20)+8:
12,+8
Total:20

Success.

Save versus Slowed (save ends)

Roll(1d20)+NaN:
10,+0
Total:10

Success.

[/sblock]

Quinn calls forth a stream of enchanting colors from his orb which provoke a reality-distorting echo in the hive-mind of the swarming insects. A fake chemical trail leads them astray in their minds and they imagine the fiercest starvation as their consciousness assails them with the ruin of escaped prey. They writhe against the sharp Fey-borne brambles of the tree, eventually falling away to the ground to be crushed by the force of the wild waters.

With a strong hand from Thurgon, Quinn clambers up the fir tree and into the thick, biting embrace of the Brambleweed. As he does so, the burning cold of the Swarming Shadow relinquishes its grip.

Given all of your relative positions, it will be impossible for any of you to die. The other Quickling has retreated and the second Swarm is well out of the fight. The Hazard will just be harrassment at this point as no one is at risk of going over the edge.

I'm aware of Campbell's intent to use the Dryad's (At-Will) and his own (Ritual) power to open a portal, connecting the trees via a Hard Nature check. I'm going to ask him to go ahead and do that shortly.

However, I'm going to go ahead and present to you guys the present situation and you let me know your plans/intent.

1) It is clear that the dragon is making a bee-line for the Royal Tower; a direct attack against the King. If you guys want to save the king and fend off the dragon, that will be an Action Scene as an above average Complexity 2 Skill Challenge with 2 Hard DCs rather than 1 (with an XP buff).

2) The city is flooding due to the dragon's sabotage of the dam. The reservoir threatens to drown untold numbers of lower class refugees in the Underbelly. If you want to attempt to save as many as you can, that will be an Action Scene as an above average Complexity 2 Skill Challenge with 2 Hard DCs rather than 1 (with an XP buff).

3) If you want to do something else, let me know what it is clearly, please.

4) If you want to split up and attempt both 1 and 2, it will make each effort more difficult, increasing the current number of Hard DCs required for success by 2 more (meaning 4 successful Hard DCs required with an XP buff).

Your initial efforts to get out of the garden (Quinn and Thurgon's Group Athletics to climb and Lucann and the Dryad's Nature for the Tree Stride) will apply. So before we move on to action resolution, please let me know your intentions for the coming scene(s) @Campbell , @LostSoul , @pemerton , @sheadunne .

 

[Manbearcat]

And you will have reached a Milestone so refresh Action Points and any PC build-specific effects.

 

[sheadunne]

And you will have reached a Milestone so refresh Action Points and any PC build-specific effects.

Let me know specifically what I'm refreshing so I know what resources I have available.

HP?
Surges?
Action Points - Yes
Encounter Powers?
Daily Powers?
Dry wit?

Theren will briefly attempt to get Thurgon's attention through handwaving and shouting. He will point toward the castle before he heads up the trail. I don't think he's seen the dragon yet, but his intent is to check on the status of the king and let him know what is transpiring if he doesn't know already.

 

[Manbearcat]

Let me know specifically what I'm refreshing so I know what resources I have available.

HP?
Surges?
Action Points - Yes
Encounter Powers?
Daily Powers?
Dry wit?

Theren will briefly attempt to get Thurgon's attention through handwaving and shouting. He will point toward the castle before he heads up the trail. I don't think he's seen the dragon yet, but his intent is to check on the status of the king and let him know what is transpiring if he doesn't know already.

MIlestone (completed 2 consecutive encounters without an ER *) = You gain an Action Point (and any PC-build specific stuff that may refresh on Milestones).

Short Rests (a breather) in my game are pretty much universally available after every scene/encounter. Only on rare occasions will I disallow them. As such, you guys get credit for a Short Rest; your Encounter Powers refresh and you can spend as many Healing Surges as you'd like to get back HPs.

This isn't an Extended Rest * (6 hours of rest 1/day) so none of your daily resources (Daily Exploits - Attack and Utility Powers, Magic Item Dailies, Healing Surges, HPs, APs if you have none) refresh.

Dry Wit is at Refresh 5, 6 (roll d6) at the end of each turn. If [MENTION=205]TwoSix[/MENTION] or [MENTION=27160]Balesir[/MENTION] are aiding you then you refresh on a 3, 4 as well.

Theren may not have seen the dragon but he would have heard the unmistakable roar.

 

[Campbell]

With the situation clearly escalating out of control once Lucann is able to open the portal between trees he will seek out the Eladrin and attempt to win their aid. Once on the other side he and the dryad will wait for about 15 minutes before moving on. Before he steps through he will let the others know what he intends. It will obviously go better if the king can come along.

 

[Manbearcat]

2.5 and 3 weeks without an update from half of the motley crew of intrepid adventurers. I think its fair to say the denouement will linger formless, somewhere in the ether. Will the dragon ruin the city? Will the king rally the beleaguered troops? Will the dryad face execution or be indentured into Thurgon's service as Knight Commander of the Iron Tower? Will Lucann convince the Eladrin of the Feywild to aid the besieged human city and restore the tie the once bound them? Will the nihilistic Quinn ultimately succumb to this newly gained darkness inside him or will he master it with faith lent to him from his companions? Will Thurgon restore the Iron Tower to its former glory and vanquish the shadow cast across the land? Will Theren finally find a leader to lend him a better purpose than bloodletter?

An exercise for the reader.

Despite the odd sputtering of a PbP and the corners you must cut to expedite such play, I think we accomplished what we set out to do, nonetheless. Thanks everyone for their efforts!